I remember being extremely nervous in 2013 when kicking off the very first Bold, Brown & Beautiful event in DC. My decision to bring the event to DC was very random. I had no audience there at all, though I had family in the area and somehow felt some allegiance to DC. But I did it anyway. We packed our car up, and we drove to DC and we did the event and it was amazing. There is something about DC, that speaks to me and I love the women there and their energy. And so … we did it again!

Be Bold in Body, Style & Grace was all about body image this year and I invited some intelligent, beautiful, and driven women alongside me to present an afternoon of growth, sharing, and inspiration. GG Renee, Kim Jackson, Victoria Walker, Tyece Wilkins, Zakiya and Nirvana were transparent, knowledgeable and on point. And as usual the end result was beyond my expectation.

Everyone that attended was so gracious for the opportunity to share and have a space that was created for them to as Tyece said, “Be their authentic selves.” The presenters and panelists were so funny and relatable and I enjoyed myself just as much as everyone else.

A few great things that came from the conversation:

Giving ourselves the space to feel up and down about ourselves without condemning or feeling like we have to combat the negative feelings. It’s okay for us to feel it all.

Acknowledging that negative self-talk will happen, but knowing that we don’t have to embody all the negative things we think.

Learning to accentuate the things that we do like about ourselves instead of focusing on everything negative. (Tyece even gave us a hilarious demonstration.)

Accepting that all of us will never look the same no matter how hard we try.

Teaching our children how to be comfortable with all different parts of their being.

Defining “sexy” for ourselves instead of this one size fit all mentality.

Taking ownership of our bodies. They belong to us and we get to decide what’s best for them.

Kim Jackson led an amazing segment on fashion giving us all the staples to take into our 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond.

The beautiful ladies of Zyn Beauty, Zakiya and Nirvana laid out the basics of skin and hair care for us.

And last but not least GG gave us a glimpse into her self-discovery writing courses with some free-writing prompts centered on body image that birthed some really great responses from the audience.

It was so rewarding to experience the energy that all these women both on stage and in the audience brought to Anacostia Arts Center. There were tons of gems dropped but I guess you will just have to be at the next one to know!

Thanks to all the panelists, presenters, my family and friends and Aisha Sheffield who reached out about taking photos for the event. She was apprehensive but pushed past her comfort zone and ended up being an answered prayer!